On May 16, 2013, the Deutsch-Kanadische Gesellschaft e.V. will hold its annual interdisciplinary conference “Forum @ Kanada Haus“ in cooperation with the Embassy of Canada in Berlin. This is the fourth time that the Forum takes place in the Embassy building. This year’s conference focuses on how Canada and Germany promote, finance and commercialize high-tech innovation.

Introductory keynote lectures by Dr. Ilse Treurnicht, President of the MaRS Discovery District Toronto, and Prof. Dr. Jürgen Mlynek, President of the Helmholtz Association, will deal with national structures to support innovation and outline possible starting points for German-Canadian cooperation. In two panels, top-notch industry representatives from both sides of the Atlantic will then discuss the role of venture capital and share experiences in developing and commercializing ground-breaking ideas and technologies. Presentations will be given, among others, by Peter van der Velden, President of the CVCA (Canada’s Venture Capital & Private Equity Association), Dr. Michael Brandkamp, Executive Director of the High-Tech Gründerfonds, and representatives of the Canadian software company QNX, well known through its contribution to BlackBerry 10 technology.